Front Yard Make-Over

I got a call a while back from a couple who wanted some landscaping done in their front yard. When I went to look at the property, I soon realized it was a little beyond my expertise. She wanted to change all the plants in her front yard and the design would be a little more elaborate than I was comfortable doing. I can do basic foundation shrubs, but getting certain groupings I haven't had much experience. So I contacted my buddy Drew, who lives in Birmingham and graduated from MSU in Landscape Architecture. So we partnered on the job and he did the design.

It took about 3 full days to do the install. The biggest part of the project was cutting and removing a huge crepe myrtle. We spent a good portion of the first day trying to dig up the stump. Realizing we were making no progress, we decided to rent a stump grinder the next day and grind it down instead of digging up. Thinking the rain was going to hold off until the afternoon, we got the grinder for 4 hours and headed to the property. Unfortunately the rain was early and we had to work in the rain. While being pretty miserable, it did complement my attitude toward this stump. Working in a mudhole for 2.5 hours, I got it ground down to an acceptable levels. My aging waterproof jacket is no longer waterproof, so every part of my body was soaking wet by the end of the day.

The next days went much smoother. We got the plants in, beds mulched, and finished a small portion of the rock wall. It was a fun project and a nice change of pace from my usual schedule.

Before Pictures:

 

The Stump before I started grinding.

After Pictures:

Drew's Design